


I Want to Know What Home Is

by TheBirbiest



Category: RWBY
Genre: #Lazy?, But resonated so deeply with I have to write it, How do I do these things?, I'll think of more tags and add them later, I'mma just keep adding tags because why not, M/M, Respect yo selves, Self-Discovery, Self-Love, Slow Burn, The first thing I've written in years, Too much gay?, lots of gay, so much gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-26 13:57:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18181499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBirbiest/pseuds/TheBirbiest
Summary: Qrow Branwen is an ex-rockstar lost in a world he doesn't recognize. He returns to his hometown in an effort to find his roots, find himself. He moves in with his brother-in-law and two nieces, hoping to rekindle the familial bonds he broke so long ago, and find stability in a life he left behind. He lands himself a job at a local café, courtesy of Tai and his friend Bart. Life continues once again and on this new journey, he meets an old friend. A lost relic that sets Qrow's heart aflame with forgotten feelings, suddenly new and bright.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to dedicate this piece to the person that made this possible, my better half and my loudest supporter. I wouldn't have found the courage to write this, nonetheless post it, if not for them. Love is a powerful force and one that I am proud to be apart of alongside her.  
> As this piece continues, her ideas will, no doubt, be incorporated and for that, I give her even more thanks. She is just as responsible for this AU as I am and deserves the proper credit for it.  
> Thank you for always keeping me close and thank you for always giving me strength. My world is a lot brighter since meeting you. Hopefully this fic extends that to you appropriately; in all shapes and forms.  
> Thank you for loving me just as much as I love you. ❤️

_What do you do when everything around you goes to shit?_

The sigh that leaves him clouds in the cold air, holding each and every emotion expelled with it. Frustration, disappointment, bitterness, shame, fear. All of it clouded in the air for a mere fraction of second; the cold devouring it just as quickly as it did his soul.

He pulls a phone from his leather jacket, bringing the screen to life with a single click of a button. 

3:32 A.M.

He was late. Late, or chose not to come. Decided his life was better off without him and wanted to hang onto the peace he created. Didn’t want to bother with the destructive force Qrow Branwen so viciously spiralled into.

He didn’t blame him. Couldn’t blame him, really. Tai had a family. He had a life to take care of. Inviting someone like him into that life was just asking for trouble. It was asking to have his entire life uprooted and invariably ruined.

Burying the phone with a quick clench of his teeth, the man shifted the guitar strap on his shoulder with a single shrug. Crimson orbs move to a car nearby; a man exiting at a hurried pace to sweep a young woman off her feet. He watches them quietly, observes the wide smiles and passionate pecks of affection. The gentle hands holding each other’s face and finding love in a single glance.

A loud wail of a car horn draws his attention forward with a small jump.

“Hey! Long time no see, stranger!”

The familiar blonde exiting the silver SUV, smile wide and eyes glowing with recognition, pulls a small smile from said stranger.  
“Hey Tai,” he breathes, amazed at just how small his voice sounds - the nerves already roaring to life. “Thanks for--!”

The embrace of the other cuts him off, face shoved into the other’s shoulder.

God, when did he become this soft? A single hug sending waves of familiar nostalgia crashing into him. It’s enough to make him sigh with relief; quieting his anxiety for a mere moment. Long enough to realize just how much he missed this man.

“Let me help you with your things,” Tai pulls away, reaching for the suitcase at Qrow’s side. “You hungry? There’s a _real_ nice diner just down the road. I’m buying?”

The idiot watching this man carry the red luggage to the vehicle followed on slow feet, stopping to watch the trunk open with a soft whine.

“Sure. I could go for some good food.”

“Oh man, you mean _the best food._ The girls and I are there nearly every weekend. You’ll love it.”

A claim that Qrow quietly hoped to be true as he shrugged his bag off his shoulder, handing it to the blonde. He works at his guitar case, sliding it into the space available.

“Thanks Tai.”

“For what?” The father of two steps away from the trunk, shutting the door with a slam and turning his smile to the other. He laughs, a sound that, unbelievably, the taller man missed dearly.

“We’re family, Qrow. You don’t need to thank me for that.”

He follows the statement with a pat of his arm, legs already carrying him back around the car; Qrow following in the opposite direction after a brief hesitation. The two climb in quietly, settling into the leather seats and finding a familiarity that somehow existed even after years apart. 

Qrow swallowed, observing the shiny interior of the car. It was strange, being here beside this man and sliding back into, what he presumed to be, was normal for them. The quiet filled more with nostalgia than awkwardness; something the man welcomed with open arms, but felt he didn’t deserve. Not in the slightest. 

Tai should have rolled his eyes and sat in the car, waiting for the idiot that abandoned his family to load the car. He should have dropped some sort of snarky comment, made bitter remarks about Qrow only reaching out for his “family” when he needed something. He should have mocked him, laughed in his face, told him how much he’d hurt everyone at home.

“Hey,” the punch at his shoulder jolted him out of his own head, red eyes finding the bright blue of the others. “Welcome home, Qrow.”

With a small smile, the man laughs about his music choice - hand reaching for the stereo and shifting the vehicle into gear; pulling away from the curb slowly.

“...Good to be back.”

_You hope to stay afloat long enough to find something worth holding onto._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one--  
> The chapters might get some titles eventually, but we'll see.

The smell of iron was so thick, it was suffocating. His chest constricted in a way that should have terrified him, but the cold surrounding him eased him into a surreal state of comfort. He gasped softly, his heart giving a particularly loud thump of defiance. Heavy eyelids fluttered open; red and blue lights occasionally flashing to light up his surroundings. 

He moves tired eyes across the empty space, recognizing it as the interior of a car, but holding no recollection of _how_ or _why._ He hears a groan vibrate in his chest. Someone’s voice yelling into the dark. A siren wailing in the distance.

_He was drowning._

He coughed to try and expel the warmth rising in his throat, spilling from his lips but leaving him breathless.

_He was suffocating._

Another cough at the same warmth spilling across his face, rolling over his lips and turning smell into taste. He sighed against the pain that flared anew in his chest, tugging his eyelids closed once again.

_“Qrow?”_

He falls back into the darkness, gagging at the warmth trying to pull him back.

The sirens deafen him.

The cold soothes him, begs him to follow.

_“Qrow.”_

It was easier this way.

He could rest here.

He could drown,

He could suffocate,

_And he wouldn’t feel a damn thing anymore._

“Qrow!”

The sudden, powerful shake of his shoulder jolts him back into the present; lips parting with an audible gasp and eyes opening with a snap. He blinks several times, feeling a softer shake at his shoulder.

“Hey man, you alright?”

“Yeah,” (was he?) “Yeah, I’m alright.”

A pause allows the man to rub at his eyes, a soft grunt escaping him as he shifts in his seat. Crimson orbs flick over to the blonde beside him; mentally cursing himself for the worry twisting at his face.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Without hesitation, “A nightmare?”

Qrow clenches his teeth, turning his eyes to the glowing screen of the stereo.

“Somethin’ like that,” he mutters, a hand returning to his eyes in an effort to rid the hazy memories.

Tai, satisfied with the answer, pulls his hand away from the man’s shoulder. He sighs gently and fumbles with the keys; the steady hum of the car coming to an immediate halt. A soft laugh follows the action at his confused companion whipping his head up.

“The girls will probably be sleeping,” he says quietly, a yawn slipping between. “But they’ll be happy to see you later. You can thank them for the… _interior decorating_ of your room.”

A quiet snort is the only response, the red orbs busy scanning over the house in front of them. In the early morning light, it was picturesque. A quaint home that was perfectly ideal for a small family.

Soft, gray paneling that complimented the white porch hooked to its front. Wide windows that were welcoming and “homey.” Even the tree standing off to the side added to the cozy atmosphere of it all.

“Welcome home, buddy.”

Tai slaps his arm, a laugh filling the space between them as he slides out of the car.

Qrow hesitates, watching the car door close, before a small laugh of his own leaves him. He leans his head back against the seat, listening to the man open the trunk and fumble with the luggage. He’s almost tempted to laugh again at the small grunts and groans from the other.

He stays a moment longer, observing the house with a slow, warm realization that this would be his new home. This _was_ his home. Not the apartment buried in the city behind him. Not the stage of bright lights and loud music.

This house.

This neighborhood.

This family.

 _His_ family.

He sighs softly, reaching for the door just as the man behind him groaned, “Hey, help a guy out, would’ja? Man, this stuff is heavy...what’s _in_ here?”

A question that Qrow can only laugh at, shutting the door behind him and coming to meet the other; offering to take the bag from him.

“Would you believe me if I said a shit ton of dildos?”

“... _Sadly.”_

“Good. ‘Cause it’s a shit ton of dildos. The _real_ girthy ones. Got all them crazy functions for the best sexual experience”

“Ugh,” the blonde shuts the trunk with a slam, rolling his eyes. “Don’t talk like that in front of the girls, got it?”

“C’mon. They’re old enough to joke about sex, Tai.” Qrow shifts both the guitar case and bag onto his shoulder, following behind the man over to the front door. The glare he receives is almost deadly; the taller of the two biting his lip to stifle a laugh.

“Qrow.”

“Alright, alright. No sex jokes.”

“Thank you,” the man looks to the doorknob, fidgeting with the key. A brief silence falls over them, the _clunk_ of the lock followed by the brief turn of the knob.

“I’ll reserve ‘em for when you’re not home.”

“Qr--!”

“Uncle Qrow!”

The body crashing into his own nearly knocks him over; feet stepping back quickly to catch himself. He looks immediately to the body hugged against him and breathes a sigh of relief. He drops a hand to the small head just as another voice cries out from the house:

“Welcome back, Old Man!”

A title that earns an instant glare from the man, his eyes flicking the to the blonde charging forward.

“I am not--!”

But the words are lost to him as soon as the other crashes into him; knocking all three bodies to the ground. Laughter instantaneously erupts from all of them, the pain at the back of Qrow’s head ignored.

Tai shuffles forward, hands on his hips as he reprimanded them loudly:

“Girls, c’mon! Let him in the house before you attack him.”

The sentence falls on deaf ears however, as the uncle pulls both nieces into his arms. Their laughs seemingly infectious, as the father beside them laughs along. The moment of bliss, of nostalgia long forgotten, is a welcome change to the man on the ground. He finds a comfort so strong in the actions, in the laughs drifting into his ears, that he’s tempted to call it all a dream. A dream of a life he doesn’t deserve. A life meant for another, but one he’s lucky enough to find in his sleep.

It’s the bright smiles that lift to greet him, the silver and lilac orbs that meet his own, the genuine joy that spreads across their faces, that reassures him he’s not dreaming. 

He may not deserve this life or this family, but for the first time in years, his heart sighed with a quiet relief.


End file.
